The first round of Olympic medals for artistic gymnastics will be awarded at the conclusion of the men’s team final. In the absence of the reigning Olympic team champions (the Russian Olympic Committee), China and Japan are undoubtedly the favorites for gold.

The two teams went head-to-head during the qualification round where China got the bragging rights, edging out Japan by over two points. In the team final, it will hope to turn those bragging rights into a gold medal.

However, expect Japan to be hot on China’s heels after not performing up to its own expectations during qualifications.

Notably defending Olympic all-around champion Daiki Hashimoto had a rough day — falling on floor exercise and high bar (where he won the gold medal in Tokyo). With Daiki performing at full-strength, Japan has all the ingredients to win gold. The pressure will be on China to be clean and deliver another performance like it did during qualifications if it wants to come out on top.

The format for the team final is three athletes up, all scores count. The scores from qualifications do not carry over so all eight teams will start from scratch. 

Both China and Japan have a built-in cushion from the rest of the field thanks to the difficulty in their routines, meaning a few mistakes here or there shouldn’t impact the gold and silver positions. However, both teams have made it clear they want gold. The little details will make a difference in the competition between themselves. 

"In Tokyo we got a silver medal (in the team competition) with a little margin,” Kaya Kazuma said after the qualification round. “So it was frustrating, but we kept practicing every day for success today. Next time, in (the team final), I want the gold medal."

Japan last won the Olympic title in 2016. China won the title in 2012. 

The battle for bronze will be just as exciting as the battle for gold. 

Great Britain finished third in qualifications, Ukraine finished fourth, and the United States finished fifth. 

However those placements don’t bring much comfort. 

“A lot of people have asked me that question in terms of ‘how does it feel to be above the USA?’" Max Whitlock said after the competition. “To be honest, take that with a pinch of salt … I think it’s really important to kind of just think about our job, our job only.” 

All three teams are capable of landing on the medal podium if the cards align. All three teams also enter the team final with the confidence of knowing there is still room to improve. 

For the U.S. team, that improvement could come from three-time U.S. national all-around champion Brody Malone, who had fallen on pommel horse and high bar. Hit routines from him could easily put bronze within Team USA’s grasp. 

When is the men's gymnastics team final?

The men’s gymnastics team final will take place Monday, July 29. The event will stream live on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com starting at 11:30 a.m. ET.

What apparatus will each team start on?

China and Japan will start on floor, Great Britain and Ukraine will start on pommel horse, the United States and Italy will start on rings, and Switzerland and Canada will start on vault.

What were the highest scores from qualifications?

Who is the favorite to win the Olympic men's gymnastics team final?

Japan is the favorite, led by Daiki, with China and its star Zhang not far behind. Bronze is possible for the Americans, but they'll need to fend off the Brits and Ukrainians.

What medal did the U.S. win at the 2023 World Championships?

The U.S. team won bronze at 2023 Worlds, and did it without Malone, who suffered an injury earlier in the year.